Thousands undocumented children in Toledo left in limbo after DACA deadline

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - According to President Donald Trump's administration, nearly 800,000 young men and women, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, were set to face deportation as the program DACA was due to expire Monday, March 5.

But when the deadline finally arrived, there weren't any dreamers that were deported.

Back in January, a U.S. district judge issued a nationwide order that required the Trump administration to resume renewals of everyone currently protected by DACA, but not to issue any new applicants.

However as time went on, the urgency of the March deadline dwindled.

Some residents in the Toledo area say the intensity to put pressure on the White House and Congress to come up with permanent protections and comprehensive immigration reforms should continue to rise.

"That something is going to happen. It has to happen because our government can't govern people if they don't know what their legal status is. We want people to work, pay taxes. Certainly not put any pressure on our safety net programs. We want people to contribute to the economy," Baldemar Velasques, the president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) said.

Currently, there are thousands of undocumented children in the Toledo area who are living in limbo.

Velasques adds that these children are becoming adults and contributing to society. Deporting them and breaking up families would be detrimental to Toledo's economy.